Colorado!

Rim Rock Marathon

Published November 4, 2017

5 days ago I was in Ireland. This Friday, travelling I-70 West ‘cross the Americas Continental Divide.

Half-day work day, destination: Fruita. 5-hour drive from Boulder, 17 miles from the Utah border. Arrived 20 minutes before bib pick-up/Expo shut down. I’ve cut it closer. My PW (personal worst)? Illinois Marathon, April 2016: 2 minutes. Yikes!

Tomorrow’s run, Colorado’s only November marathon. Chose Rim Rock to keep the streak alive (cost choice, Dublin was weighty on the pocketbook). Ironically, now visiting my Mom in 2 weeks (& of course marathon-registered nearby, addictive habit ❤). Sleeps at the Balanced Rock Inn, half-mile from Fruita’s Community Center – shuttle meet-up location AND (26 miles later) tomorrow’s marathon finish.

Pitch dark early a.m. start. Double-shirted but stuck with shorts. Hard to ‘best guess’ race attire in Fall. Inside the Park, sheltered 45 minutes behind a porta-potty [windbreak] ‘til the day’s 7am Start. 2^nd marathon experience inside a National Park 🙂

Colorado National Monument. Landscape more Utah than Colorado. Warned/awaited a gun start, small athletic field (mostly college runners: Colorado Mesa University & CU-Boulder). Gun jamm’d, CMU coach casually said ‘ok go’ – & we were on our way.

8 miles UP. First 4 miles: 2500ft UP. More hike than run. Even the parts that LOOKED flat, a steady clip UP.

Stopped, snapped pics, took in the panorama/Park’s amazing beauty.

Cold Shivers Point – cold winds blew. 3 miles of down, mile-half of rolling, series of incredible Park overlooks. Red Canyon, Ute Canyon, Fallen Rock, Artists Point, Monument Canyon & Grand View. National Park eye-candy, a scenic wonder.

Unfortunately, just not feelin’ it today. Those first 4 miles of UP sucked the life outta my legs. Dublin Sunday, Fruita 6 days later – head demons rattled loud/mentally spent. DNF, DNF. I’ve got nothing to prove, I’ve finished 100. Lick my wounds, run another day.

Except…

No vehicle available at the Half Marathon mark (Aid Station 6). Volunteers asked I go on to mile 17 (next Aid Station). Seriously? Begrudgingly, restarted my jog/slog pace. Sooner I get to [mile] 17, sooner I could warm up & go home.

Except…

Assigned Volunteer asked a bystander to watch Aid Station 7. Guy had a truck but no idea how to get to the Finish (Rim Rock Road was closed to the Public today). He tried to explain. Seriously? Wasn’t listening, wouldn’t even refill my hydration bottles. Head demons too strong this day – next 3 miles without water, not gonna help matters. Ugly unfriendly headspace.

Refueled at 20. No one quits a race at mile 20. Runner in orange, young gal in sweats. Back-n-forth, we 3 swapped places. Mile 23, I reached the Aid Station last. Worst-to-first by mile 25. Fruita City Limits. Colorado River.

Mile to go. UP the overpass, jogged its downside into town. Quarter-mile to FINISH & I did, I finished.

Today my 4-year RUNniversary, 48 consecutive months marathoning. Most unlikely of marathon finishes, angry HOURS spent planning my running retirement – literally tried to quit TWICE. Never ever again. Well….never ever for 2 weeks. LOL>

Rim Rock Run 2017
Fruita, Colorado

Marathon Results
125 K R Haga Louisville CO 5:43:12

: National Park marathoning

: landscape more Utah than Colorado

: 2500ft UP first 4 miles

: Monument Canyon

: Balanced Rock

: Welcome to Fruita

: my 4-year RUNniversary

Posted in Marathons/Ultras, Western Slope | Leave a comment

first RADIATION hike

Published October 1, 2017

YIKES!

No ‘whale of a thirteener‘ hike, no ‘Debbie Gibson’ Lake, no bighorn sheep. Small garter snake, remnants of Aspen yellow, SNOW & Grave Danger RADIATION. What?????

Alarm buzzed at 5am. Dark outside but could hear rain.

Alarm buzzed again at 6:30. Felt my age this morning. 32 miles yesterday, slooooow start. Cup of Pappy’s sassafras tea. Unpacked yesterday’s gear, re-stuffed the backpack with hike essentials. On the road by 8am. New day, new month, promised Ro high elevation.

Plan A: Whale Peak (elevation 13,078ft), Plan B: Gibson Lake. Hour-half drive on Hwy 285. Morrison, Conifer, Bailey…dirt-road right, just past Grant. BEAUTIFUL autumn drive. Had I woke ‘on time’ today, would have all been dark. Everything happens for a reason 🙂

Dodged potholes 5 miles to Hall Valley Campground…dirt road/lotta seasonal use.

ATV-road hike. 1.2 miles to Gibson Lake Trailhead. The panorama? Colorado Autumn – one of the last weekends of Aspen YELLOW. Snowy mountain backdrop. Today’s WOW shots came early.

Gibson Lake Trailhead coated in ankle-deep snow. Continued UP the ATV-road. [in hindsight] Should’ve looked a little harder. Back of the parking lot, no visible path – but on my hike return, spotted the weathered trail sign. Gibson Lake → 3 miles. Ugh.

Snow got deeper, off-leash joy for Ro. UP, UP, UP. Took more than a few water breaks. 50K day-after: legs weren’t exactly bounding effortlessly. LOL>

Trees stunted, wind blew. Into the Backpack: treat for Ro, GLOVES for dad. Trail snow thinned, precip blowing to the side in drifts. Still no Lake but could make out a vault toilet, far in the distance. Gonna top the next hill, lunch at the Lake, contemplate next steps. Based on snow conditions, not sure how plausible summiting a 13er was gonna be.

“Go bak” – scribed on a large boulder. ‘Vault toilet’ reality: 3 buildings & an American flag. Large purple gate (middle of absolute nowhere) tagged: ‘Keep OUT Mine Property’. Today’s deal breaker? “Grave Danger: Very High Radiation Area”.

Hadn’t seen THAT sign before. 4.4 miles in, good enough today. Kicked back 20 minutes (ironically, against the RADIATION gate), downed a turkey sandwich (both halves), fed Ro. Might be GLOWING, but my stomach would be full 🙂

2 roadside stops on the drive home: unplanned, unexpected, unrelated – but both SUPER cool.

photo opp: Christ of the Rockies statue (Camp Santa Maria)
food LOVE: foot-long w/ sauerkraut at Coney Island Boardwalk (Bailey)

Crazy FULL weekend – GRATEFUL to be working tomorrow. Monday, REST day.

: Plan A: Whale Peak, Plan B: Gibson Lake

: last remnants of Fall

: Aspen YELLOW ❤

: Colorado postcard

: Sno’ Ro

: Happy October!

: bak?

: ‘VERY HIGH RADIATION AREA’

: FULL weekend: 50K trail RUN Saturday, 8.7-mile trail HIKE Sunday

: Christ of the Rockies — erected in 1933, was the 2nd tallest Jesus in the world

: shared half-a-dog with MY dog 🙂

Posted in Continental Divide | Tagged hiking, road-signs | Leave a comment

The Bear Chase Trail Race

Published September 30, 2017

Who signs up for a 50K trail run only 4 days before the event? Yep, that happened this week.

Received a promo email for The Bear Chase Trail Race last weekend, Friday before New Hampshire. Generally I delete these (my run schedule’s set 6 months out) but was out-of-town/travelling soooo the ad stayed in my Inbox.

Home sweet Colorado Home. Cool & overcast all week, highs never topped 60 (GREAT weather). Didn’t have a great run in Keene (REDEMPTION). Short miles this month in my Run the Year challenge (Sept 30^thrace) AND only 45 minutes from Home.

I know, I know – crazy ‘healthy‘ addiction. Paid FULL price & promised Ro we’d hike tomorrow 🙂

Saturday morning. Hydration vest outta the closet, packed a drop bag – pickles/watermelon/chicken noodle soup, change of clothes (shirt/socks). I’m my own crew today. Socks? Yep, NINE water crossings – 6 of those, knee deep water. LOVE LOVED it!

Missed bib pick-up night before (work obligation). Arrived half-hour early in Lakewood’s Bear Creek Lake Park. FREE parking ($10 fee waived for runners). Volunteer handed me a Bib, 4 safety pins & my Bear Chase tech shirt. BAM, done.

2^nd time in a month, I’d be running the event’s low-mile race. 100K, 50 mile or 50K – that’s it. First time since April 2016, I actually registered for a 50K (ran 3 last year). Marathon + 6 miles. Baby steps. I see a 50-mile race in my 2018 future.

Sun rose pink over Bear Creek Lake, hats off for the National Anthem & we were off. Bunched up at the first water crossing, then hiked UP the first of three big climbs. Backside of hill? I flew. Since REVEL Rockies training this Spring, I’m a much better downhill runner.

Easiest trail terrain to date – rolling hills, root-free course (my trail nemesis). Ran strong first 14 miles. Lost my mojo during the sun-exposed 6.9 miles ‘round Fox Hollow Golf Course. No tree, no shade, no wind. Popped in the ear-buds, tried to flood my head with sound.

Last loop (18.8 miles in), half marathon distance to go. Dilly-dallied 10 minutes at Bag Drop. Re-clothed (dry shirt/dry socks), bathroom break, swallowed a half-thermos of chicken noodle. Departed with a fresh bottle of electrolytes.

Last climb UP, right quad cramped. Unfamiliar territory. Nearby runner asked if I needed salt tabs. I thanked him, swallowed both & hoped for a miracle. I’m a puker, not a cramper. Limped/walked the climb, limped/jogged the backside.

Clouds rolled in, temp dropped 10-15 degrees, winds kicked up. No sun, no headphones…no need. Quad cramp ceased. My miracle.

Slow pace – 12/min mile – but I kept moving. Shoulders back, no walk, no slog. Head voices stopped. Focused on a guy in white, later a couple both dressed in red. Approached, paced closed behind, then passed/moved ahead. Ninth & final water crossing.

Less than a mile to go AND… I lost the trail. Are you kidding me?? Bush-whacked thru high grass & willow thicket. Crossed a paved road, met a 100K runner. Had run past the Finish by more than half a mile. Disappointed…but back on trail – I kept moving.

Actually came up BEHIND the Finish. 7 hours – that’s a looooong time but I FINISHED. 32 miles total. WOW! ALSO surprisingly, compared with 2016 results – cut more than an hour off my best time. Today’s run a 50K PR.

Out like a LION (September), in with a ROAR (October) – starting tomorrow with a high-altitude hike. Gotta, hafta – promised the pup, right? LOVE LOVE my Colorado life ❤